At the Earth's Core

1976

Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Sci-Fi

Synopsis

A Victorian scientist and his young American backer set off in their new earth-boring machine with a short test on a Welsh mountain. Unfortunately the thing is rather more powerful than expected and they end up in an enormous cavern at the centre of the earth. Here they find a race of humans enslaved to evil oversized prehistoric birds with extra-sensory abilities. The travellers decide they can be some help, the more so as at least one of the slaves is very eye-catching.

A Victorian scientist and his young American backer set off in their new earth-boring machine with a short test on a Welsh mountain. Unfortunately the thing is rather more powerful than expected and they end up in an enormous cavern at the centre of the earth. Here they find a race of humans enslaved to evil oversized prehistoric birds with extra-sensory abilities. The travellers decide they can be some help, the more so as at least one of the slaves is very eye-catching.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Nigel P8 / 10

Spoilers follow ...

Many years ago, films like this were released during school summer holidays, a number of them starring Doug McClure. Here he plays, not unusually, a wise-cracking, cigar chomping devil-may-care physical leading man (trip financier David Innes) to Peter Cushing's bumbling Doctor Abner Perry, or 'Doc.' Perry could be a close relative of Cushing's Doctor Who, a part he played about ten years earlier in two Dalek-bothered films. It isn't my favourite Cushing formula - he is such a talented, sensitive performer, but this smacks of 'putting on a show for the kids'. Very enthusiastic, but perhaps could be dialled down a tad. Sweaty, sultry Dia is played by the incomparable Caroline Munro, a character who gives Innes a reason to come over all unnecessary.

The film is colourful and psychedelic and boasts a great showcase for 'back projection' to provide its special effects: actors in restrictive monster costumes lumber about in garish studio-bound foliage, and this image, enlarged, is played in the background of the leading actors reacting. This isn't just reserved for the monsters - the spectacle of The Iron Mole, which transports our two heroes beneath the crust of the planet is achieved in a similar way.

The monsters themselves are a good example of their kind: you don't know whether you want to run away from them or give them a hug. They rarely convince, but once you are used to the style of their depiction, they appear to get more impressive. An interesting line in telepathic communication helps bring many of them to life. Director Kevin Connor's camera looms in on their open eyes to indicate mind control, snapping shut to suddenly curtail it. The monsters all have a uniform look about them, with extra detail signifying different species and rank - the ones who seem to be in control of everything certainly look the most impressive, swathed in dry ice and gurgling inhuman, guttural sounds.

Difficult not to enjoy, this was produced by Amicus (their final production) and based on the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, it boasts an impressive, trippy soundtrack by Mike Vickers. The film performed well at the box office, proving an understandable fondness for this kind of monster adventure.

Reviewed by bkoganbing6 / 10

Under a cherry red sky

I will say this for At The Earth's Core and its creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. No one could ever accuse Mr. Burroughs of no imagination. No lost world of dinosaurs falling through the surface and surviving in the bowels of the planet. His monsters were quite real and quite terrifying and completely original as in this film.

Nutty professor type scientist Peter Cushing and student Doug McClure have invented a new drilling machine which they are exhibiting and the test is to drill a tunnel through a small mountain in Wales. Problem is the machine makes a wrong downward turn and these two arrive in a different kind of society under a cherry red sky.

Humans are at the bottom of the social strata, slaves to giant bird like creatures with a hypnotizing glare. Enforcing the will of the big birds are these other ape like creatures who keep the human captives in line.

Of course it's not hard to figure out that the story is of McClure and Cushing leading a revolt against this society. Especially when the fate of the humans is either to be slaves or to be food. Along the way he wins native princess Caroline Munro who did a lot of these pulp fiction adventure stories. As did Doug McClure back in the day. I guess they were fated to be together in one.

At The Earth's Core will appeal to pulp fiction film fans. And I did love that ending. Won;t say a word, you have to see it.

Reviewed by Benedito Dias Rodrigues7 / 10

Remembering my youth...

Edgar Rice Burroughs is one of my favorite writers among Jules Verne and H. G. Wells,they wrote so many adventures who inspired movie makers around the world,this adaptation is kitsch but very entertainment in my youth time when l saw this picture by first time,this kind of fantasy mix with Sci-fi and adventure made my life more pleasant and enjoyable,so until now l've a expected to see more exiting movies like this,Doug Mcglure made more three movies from Burroughs's novel adaptation...all them wonderful!!!